Equipment for treating perishable products



June 23, 1931. I DAY 1,811,496

EQUIPMENT FOR TREATING PERISHABLE PRODUCTS Filed July 7, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l I\ D 5% w C H H E' & a

Q W m l 3 L Ivy/6 722 02" Wz'iness V y I Jami/4A1, km 'AW I Wz'iness June 23, 1931. F. J. DAY 1,811,496

EQUIPMENT FOR TREATING FERISHABLE PRODUCTS Filed July 7, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inverziofi o f0 aw/0% wigim Patented June 23, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRED JOHN DAY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIG'NOR TO PIKE-COOLING CAR SERVICE 00., OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA EQUIPMENT FOR TREATING PERISHABLE PRODUCTS Application filed July 7, 1928. Serial No. 290,971.

This invention relates to equipment for treating perishable products.

In the transportation and storage of perishable products it is'highly desirable to condition the atmosphere in the cars or storage rooms, as the case may be, so that the desired conditions will be maintained either for the purpose of ripening the fruit or subjecting it to proper treatment to prevent deterioration or decay. This treatment consists in treating the air in such a way as to maintain'the desired temperature and also in- Y level is located a. railroad track 15, which cludes the introduction of a gas or gases of such nature as to either hasten or retard the 16 ripening, as the case may be, or to preserve the fruit from the action of fungus or other deleterious growths.

In treating perishable products in this manner, it is desired to treat them either while in the car or in fixed storage in sheds or storage rooms located alongside the track, and the present invention relates to the provision of suitable equipment which is designed toco-operate both with a refrigerator car or cars, and with the storage rooms, so that the conditioned atmosphere may be directed to the space desired and also so that the refrigerator cars, when charged with ice in the bunkers, may be utilized as a source for the cold air required in conditioning the rooms'in the shed or storehouse where the products are deposited.

Further objects and details will be apparent from a description of the invention, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein,-

Figure 1 is a view showing the exterior above-ground elevation of a storehouse or shed located alongside a railroad track; and

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement of the interior of the storehouse.

In Fig. 2 is shown a building having a ground floor room 10 and a basement room 11, the latter having a floor 12. Within the basement room are located storage rooms 13 arranged in a banker series, two only being shown in the present instance, although the 50 number and arrangement of the storage be described.

Outside of the building and on the ground permits refrigerator cars 16 to be run alongside and in close proximity to the upper or ground floor room above the shed or warehouse.

Within the room 10 is located a. suitable air conditioning apparatus 17, which comprises a heater, cooler, and blower, which are merely represented diagrammatically and which may be of any suitable mechanical construction to secure a proper thermal conditioning of the temperature, and a proper distribution thereof through a piping system now to be described.

The inlet to the blower is'indicated at the point 18, and this outlet communicates with a header pipe 19 which extends upwardly toward the roof of the room 10, and downwardly through the floor into the basement room, so that it constitutes a common header pipe with suitable connections leading to both the storage rooms in the basement and the refrigerator cars located on the track outside.

The upper lead of the pipe 19 connects with what may be termed a horizontal car supply pipe 20 having at each end an outlet 21, the two outlets being spaced apart sufiiciently to afiord connections for two cars which may for convenience be termed cars 1 and 2, as shown in Fig. 1. In the present instance the pipe 19 may be considered as the suction end of the blower system, so that throu h this pipe and the pipes directly connecte therewith, a suction will be established from each of the cars, if two are under treatment, or from one or more of the stora rooms in the basement, it being understoo that the suction will be maintained from whatsoever storage space, cars or rooms, is in open con-- motion with the header pipe'19 for thet1me being.

The lower lead of the header pipe 1 9 connects with a. basement header 22, which, as

shown, is provided with two. downwardly extending branches 23, each branch leadmg to the base of one of the storage rooms, so that suction developed in either or both of' the the pipesystem serve to control communication with the car or cars which it is desired to condition, and valves 26 and 38 serve to conrooms as desired. That is to say, by opening the valves 24- and 25 and closing the valves .26 and 38,- the suction may be maintained from each of the cars. By closing the valve 25, the suction may be confinedto one of the ,cars. By closing the valve 24 and opening the valves 26 and 38, the suction may be maintained with both of the basement storage rooms; or by manipulating the valves 26 and 38, the suction may be confined to one or the other of these basement r ooms.

The outgoing or pressure side of the blower is connected with a main upwardly extending pipe 28 which in turn connects with what may be termed a car pressure pipe 29 and a storage room pressure pipe 30, the latter leading downwardly to the basement.

The car pressure pipe 29- is provided with an intermediate outlet 31 leading to the, car

1, and a terminal outlet 21 leading to the car 2. Valves 33 and ,34 are provided for controlling the pressure flow to one or both of the cars. I

The lower pressure branch pipe 30 connects at the points 35 and 36 respectively with the storage rooms, and valves 37 and 33 are provided for directing pressure flow into either or both of these rooms, as desired. By closing the valve 37 and opening the valves 33 and 34, both of the cars will be brought into pressure communication with the blower, while by opening the valves 33 and 37, and closing the valve 34, both of the storage rooms will be subjected to pressure. Other possible adjustments are obvious from the above description.

The car outlets above. described are detachably connected in each instance with the roof of the car by means of a flexible pipe connection 39 which in each instance leads to a point in the roof immediately above the ice bunker,

each car having a bunker at each end as'is' customary in the construction of refrigeratmg cars. V

In addition to the air circulation pipes heretofore described, provision is made for the introduction of a gas or ases into the air stream for the purpose 0 conditioning the same with a View toacceleration or re-' tardation of the ripening process, or with a view of treating perishable articles against decay. For this purpose, one or more gas tanks 40 are provided, four being shown in the present instance, with suitable upper fixed pipe connections 41 leading to the pressure side of the upper air. circuit, and, similar, --pipe connections 42 leading to'the pressure gases such as ethylene, propylene, carbon trol communicatlon to the storage room or dioxide, etc., may be used in measured amounts to condition the air delivered into" the spaces where the perishable articles are in storage. Obviously, where it is desirable to simultaneously admit more than one kind of gas, additional flexible-connections may orator cars loaded with perishable articles can berun alongside the shed or warehouse containing the apparatus, and unloaded, whole .orin part, and then placed in storage in the storage rooms located in the basement or elsewhere.

- If the temperatures in the storage rooms are higher than is desired, the exterior flexible pipe connections leading to the car can be connected in each instance to the bunkers at opposite ends of the car or cars,as the case may be, after which a circulation of cold air can be established from the refrigerator car through the storage rooms and back, thereby utilizing the surplus ice usually found in the bunker for the purpose of thermally conditioning the air in the storage rooms, which is'a'great advantage in that in the continuous handling of perishable products it is almost always possible to find a refrigerator car which is. available to serve as a source of cold air for refrigerating purposes.

After the air in the storage rooms has been brought to the proper temperature, a gas or gases, such as ethylene, propylene, etc., may be admitted in order to accelerate ripening, where acceleration is required, or, on the contrary, such a gas as carbon dioxide may be admitted, where it is desired to retard the ripening process.

In cases where it is desired to condition a car in advance for the transportation of perishable goods on long journeys, the car, after loading, can be hooked up in the manner described, and the air in the car actively circulated through the ice filled bunkers for the period required to lower the temperature to the desired. degree, with the addition of a gas or gases, if desired, and afterthe car has thus been initial] conditioned it may proceed on'the journey with the air at the desired tempcrature, which insures far better thermal conditions than is possible where the bunkers are.,merely filled and the dead air in the car slowly reduced in temperature by contact with the ice, which often results in spoilage of Perishables before the air has been lowered to a preservative temperature.

In cases where it is not desired, to make connection with cars on the side track, the apparatus can be employed exclusively in the conditioning of the air in the different storage rooms, and by regulating the valves in the manner required, communication with the cars will be shut off for the time being.

In cases where it is desired'to elevate the temperature in the storage rooms, and where the exterior air is sufliciently warm for the purpose, the exterior car connection ipes can be left open to the outside'atmosp ere, which may be thus freely circulated through the storage rooms until the temperature has reached equality with the outside, after which the air at this temperature may be circulated and gases admitted to, the extent required for the purpose in view. 0

Where the outside temperature is not sufficiently warm, the heater 17 may be employed to elevate the temperature to the desired degree, and where a car is not available as a source of refrigeration, a cooling coil may be employed for a like purpose.

The equipment above described is designed to meet all conditions ordinarily encountered in the handling of perishable products at shipping and distributing points, and may be used with advantage either conjointly with the refrigerator cars or separately, where desired.

Experience has shown that highly beneficial results in the conditioning of fruits and vegetables may be secured in case where proper regard is had for the correct ripening temperature and an atmosphere properly conditioned as to gaseous content, and with these factors harmoniously adjusted, the ripening operation may be accelerated or retarded, or otherwise controlled to a very considerable extent, thereby greatly facilitating the handling of perishable articles in such a way as to deliver them in prime condition when desired for the market.

The present apparatus is desi ned to enable all of these conditions to e satisfactorily met, and frequently permits the refrigerator cars to be employed as sources of refrigeration in cases where a considerable residium of ice is left in the bunkers after the completion of an overland journey.

Although the invention has been described with considerable particularity as to detail, it will, of course, be understood that the arrangement shown can be modified considerably to meet local conditions or requirements without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim: 1. In apparatus of the class-described, the combination of a railway track, a fixed storage room located in proximity to the track, a refrigerator car on the track in proximity to the storage room and provided with ice bunkers, means for establishing air connection between .the refrigerator car and the storage room, and means exterior of the storage room for maintaining an air circuit through said refrigerator car and said storage room, for equalizing the temperature in the storage room and in the refrigerator car.

2'. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a railway track, a fixed storage room located in proximity to the track, a refrigerator car on the track in proximity to the storage room and provided with ice bunkers, means for establishing air connection between the refrigerator car and the storage room, means exterior of the storage room for maintaining an air circuit through said refrigerator car and said storage room, for conditioning the temperature in the stor age room, and means for admitting a treating gas to the air circuit exterior of the storage room.

3. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a railway track, a fixed storage room located in proximity to the track, a refrigerator car on the track in proximity to the storage room and provided with ice bunkers, means for establishing air connectionbetween the refrigerator car and the storage room, means exterior of the storage room for maintaining an air circuit through said refrigerator car and said storage room, for conditioning the tem erature in the storage room, means for admitting a treating gas to the air circuit, and means in the air line circuit exterior of the storage room for modifying the temperature thereof.

4. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a railway track located on an upper level, a plurality of storage rooms for perishable articles located on a lower level, valve-controlled air pipe connections leading to and from said storage rooms and having their opposite ends terminating in exterior connections for conditioning said rooms singly or in unison, a refrigerator car having said exterior ends connected at opposite ends of the car for establishing an air circuit through the car and through one or more of the storage rooms, and means in said air line exterior of the storage rooms for maintaining a circuit flow therethrough.

5. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a railway track located on an upper level, a storage room for perishable articles located on a lower level, air pipe connections leading to and from said storen 5 vof the car for establishin age room and having their opposite. ends terminating in exterior connections, a refrigerator car provided with ice bunkers and havin said exterior'ends connected at oppos1t e an air circult through the car and throug the stora e room, means in said air line exteriorof t e storage room for maintaining a circuit flow therethrough, and means for admlttmg gas to said air line and valve means adapted to be adjusted to include in the circuit flow both the refrigerator car and the storage room, or to confine the flow to either the refrigerator car or the storage room.

6. In apparatus of the class described the combination of a railway track locate on an n per level, a storage .room for perishable artic es located on a lower level, air pipe connections leading to and from said storage room and having their opposite ends terminating in exterior connections, a refri erator car provided wlth 1ce bunkers and aving said exterior ends connected at-opposite-ends room, means in said air line exterior of t e of the car for establishing an air circuit through the car and through the stora storage room for maintaining a circuit flow therethrough, and means in said air line exterior of the storage room for thermall .oonditioning the air flowing therethrou and valve means adapted to be adjusted to include in the circuit flow both the refrigerator car and the storage room, or to confine the flow to,

either the refrigerator caror the storage room.

7. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a railway track located on an upper level, a storage room for perishable articles located on a lower level, air pipe connections leading to and from said storage room and having their opposite ends terminating in exterior connections, a refrigerator car having said exterior ends connected at opposite ends of the car for establishing an air circuit through the car and through the storage room, means in said air line exterior of the storage room for maintaining a circuit flow therethrough, means for admitting gas to said air line, and means in said air line exterior of the stora e room for thermally conditioning the air fiwing therethrough.

FRED JOHN DAY. 

